Maybe it was the Christmas thing, or maybe it was because I started writing this entry on an airplane as I was eyeing the bag across the aisle from mine. It was quite unusual and….hairy. Or perhaps it's better described as furry. Whatever. It was distinctly animal that much I knew, but what animal exactly? Was it horse, goat, albino zebra? I decided to find out!

*Oh, and speaking of Christmas! We're taking a break for the holiday. Please come back and visit us in 2007. We'll be back January 2nd.

Maybe it was the Christmas thing, or maybe it was because I started writing this entry on an airplane as I was eyeing the bag across the aisle from mine. It was quite unusual and….hairy. Or perhaps it's better described as furry. Whatever. It was distinctly animal that much I knew, but what animal exactly? Was it horse, goat, albino zebra? I decided to find out!

I leaned across the aisle and inquired to the woman who toted it. The conversation went something like this:

Me; "I can't help but notice your um," I knew I shouldn't say I've been ogling your hairy purse – that would sounded weird – so I opted for, "your uh, furry purse. What is it?"

Passenger: "Oh thanks," she gleamed. "It's reindeer."

Me: "As in Rudolph?!"

Passenger: "Precisely. It's from Norway. Reindeers are about as common there as cows are here."

Me: "Harrumph….Really? That's reindeer?" I've never actually been this close to a reindeer before. "Can I touch it?"

It was soft if you brushed in the direction of the fur but prickly if you went opposite to it. Some of the hair was longer than others like it came from the mane or…. I didn't want to think about it too much because that made me think about how much it really did look like a bag made out of Bambi.

I asked how much it cost and she said it ran about as much as a nice leather bag would here, around $200. So while it wasn't a great bargain it did provide her with a pretty unique purse and perhaps a more unique kind of bragging rights upon her return.

It made me think about a different kind of shopping. Shopping for items purely because they are exotic. You might not have bought the item at home but you're inspired to because it's such a unique memento, and often a great deal. Perhaps it's a handmade camel coat from Mumbai. An ostrich wallet from Santiago. A rabbit shrug from Buenos Aires. It might not be why you travel, but what you bring home helps to make for a memory. If not Rudolph…then what?

Tell me the most unusual item you've brought home from a trip.

*Oh, and speaking of Christmas! We're taking a break for the holiday. Please come back and visit us in 2007. We'll be back January 2nd.

Back to Main
Posted in Culinary Travel, Shopping
Email this | Comments (1)

My worst international dining experience can be summarized in a frozen moment: I’m sitting in an Andean restaurant jaw dropped as a waiter walks to the next table over with a guinea pig on a plate, spindly rodent feet and all. Probably not the most appetizing way for me to begin a posting on food, but I bring this anecdote up only to contrast against the total glory that is being a cheese-loving vegetarian in Italy.

I could almost sleep on a pillow of pecorino, and wake up in the night to take little nibbles of deliciousness between Italian-flavored dreams. Well, almost. The cheese wheels at some of the markets in Venice are certainly big enough to support a human head, but jet-lag or no, the intoxicating stink might stave off slumber. The vegetable carts provide a wake-up call with day-glo carrots, the most darling--but spikey--artichokes, and enough garlic to keep out all the night-feeding vampires of Europe. And, if I ate seafood, I could have partaken of live eels, lovely scallops, and fish so fresh they fluttered atop the ice on which they were displayed.

During my recent stay in Venice, I rented a small flat with a kitchen just so I could frequent these markets, purchasing handmade pastas that always turn out terrific, raviolis tasting like little spinach-ricotta kisses, pesto from Liguria so green and earthy it’s like a mouthful of spring. I found shriveled sun-dried tomatoes that plumped up and blossomed with just the right amount of coaxed soaking. For dessert, the tartest, crispest green apples along with fist-sized pistachio cookies the colors of limes.

As for elixirs, I started each day with espresso, dabbled in the grappa, thought about absinthe, and instead toasted the bitter campari spritz. When I walked into a store that sold wine by the liter, I about fell over with amazement at this land of plenty. And when they threw in a free plastic bottle as a kicker, my head spun. Or maybe that was all the spirits.

Vegetarian or no, what are some of your favorite international dining experiences?

Back to Main
Posted in Culinary Travel, International Travel
Email this | Comments (2)

The scales don't lie; I've put on a few pounds this holiday season. It all started with a tasty Thanksgiving back home and has snowballed as party after party overflows with intoxicating spirits and bursts with divine treats. I fear that there's no end in sight since I'm heading to Wine Country this Christmas. Luckily I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

As an avid foodie, maniac fitness buff, and wide-eyed traveler, I keep a few sites handy to ensure that my exercise regime doesn't screech to a halt when I leave home. By the way, eating less on vacation doesn't even cross my mind--that's crazy talk!

Back to working out: It's amazing what amenities airports have nowadays. Not only are there airport spas, but there are also airport gyms. A similar trend's been catching on at hotels too, as reported in the New York Times article entitled "Hotels Tone up Their Treadmills." If I were really off my rocker I could be working up a sweat 24/7!

Often I stay at smaller inns or sometimes with friends, which means I need a backup plan. When I'm looking for running routes, I check www.americanrunning.org and www.runtheplanet.com. For something a bit different, I go pool hopping, so www.swimmersguide.com comes in handy. Other times, lifting weights and zoning out on an elliptical sounds appealing, and that's when I check out IHRSA's website or www.fitforbusiness.com.

Hopefully with info like this at my fingertips, I won't have to find myself a pair of maternity pants like Joey did when Brad Pitt guest-starred on the Thanksgiving episode of Friends (#9).

Back to Main
Posted in Health & Wellness
Email this | Comments (6)

Without going into detail, let’s just say I see where Danny DeVito was going with his Lincoln bedroom commentary on “The View” a few weeks ago--though I would have preferred to hear it from his buddy George Clooney. There is such a thing a “vacation sex.”*

DeVito’s rant aside, I get what he meant. Being away from home, from work, and from the distractions of our everyday responsibilities makes, ahem...you know, totally different than at home. Indeed, better...and more frequent.

Perhaps this explains the current trend of the procreation vacation—I know, it makes me wince too. Honestly, do you tell your friends and family, we’re off for a “procreation vacation, see you next week?” You might as well say, “We’re going to Hawaii to have lots of sex, we won’t be in touch.” Do you call the hotel and let them know, or even book one of their packages, so there’s no doubt about why you’re not removing the “Do Not Disturb” sign? Do the postcards read: Don’t wish you were here? I have so many questions.

Though I get it, really I do. Women are having children at a later age, many while trying to balance careers, so getting away to relax and help things along makes sense. So do babymoons, which have generated lots of buzz for savvy resorts eager to pamper couples before their lives change forever, and they don't have time to...well, you get it by now.

I say, move over Paris Hilton: make way for the bouncing baby Cancuns, Mauis, and Londons of the world. Get out there and, um...vacation!

*P.S., I don’t recommend Googling “vacation sex” if you’re reading this at work and want to keep your job.

Back to Main
Posted in Family & Kids, Health & Wellness
Email this | Comments (1)

Welcome to The Window Seat: a blog for every traveler.

Why The Window Seat? Because if you're a traveler, it's how you take in the world around you. And because it's the best seat in the house, the one with the most captivating view – and that is precisely what this blog is about. Sharing travel perspectives and experiences.

When I first imagined this blog, I pictured a place that would speak to me like a seasoned traveler as well as a friend. I envisioned a place where travelers from all over the globe could partake in the discussion. Thus, The Window Seat is a community by and for travelers. It exists for us to log our impressions about travel and learn from others. Over time, with your help, it will be an honest and relevant resource for the latest travel news, insider destination information and travel advice.

You'll hear from me as well as a group of regular contributors at The Window Seat. We won't always share the same idea about what makes a trip great, but we think that's what will make the collective voice of this blog strong. What we do share is a passion for all things travel and a commitment to provide useful travel-related information. It is our great hope that you will add your perspective to our effort.

... It is with great pride that I bring to you this first glimpse from The Window Seat.

Amy Ziff

Back to Main
Posted in No Specific Category
Email this | Comments (7)

Getting across St. Mark’s Square, the tourist focal point of Venice, is ordinarily like playing the video game Frogger, but with pigeons. Add in a flood, and the “Bride of the Sea” becomes Bridezilla--delicate to negotiate, ready to teeter over the edge at a moment’s notice, and squeezing out the waterworks for dramatic effect.

This is why, when I told friends and family I wanted to go to Venice in December, I was met with a number of skeptical looks. It is, after all, the rainy season in a city that is sinking, and the time of year most prone to floods. It is also the time of year with the least crowds and lines. Which seemed great reasons to me to pack my wading boots and umbrella.

To me, an avowed crowd avoider, I’d always wanted to see Venice but was scared away by stories of swarming summer mobs shuffling their way down stinky alleyways lined with stuffy elbow-to-elbow shops. Not so in early December. I just got back, and I’m already pining away for the artwork, pasta, wine, architecture, and fog. It was a dream to enjoy no lines at the museums, breathing room on the vaporettos, and prompt seating at the restaurants--which is not to say there weren’t a lot of tourists there. There certainly were, but nowhere near the usual critical mass.

Plus, I got to see the spectacle of St. Mark’s underwater, when they put out planks for people to teeter along from the Doge’s Palace to the Correr Museum, and enterprising buskers sell colorful plastic booties to children and adults who want to make a splash. It’s business as usual in the restaurants--as long as you don’t mind having your feet submerged while you slurp down your pasta and sip your Prosecco. Even the gondolieri aren’t thwarted by the high water levels. Instead, they take off their hats and duck gallantly every time they come to a bridge, bringing a bit of limbo-lower-now spirit to the Old World.

Some may call it Bride of the Sea, some may call it Bridezilla. What do you call it?

Back to Main
Posted in Holiday & Seasonal, International Travel
Email this | Comments (2)

My parents were convinced that I'd only make it to 4'11", I grew up in D.C. where no building is taller than the U.S. Capitol, and even though I drove an SUV in college, I've always preferred quick, compact cars (currently a Mini). So my mantra is generally: Good things come in small packages.

But I've been curious about the Airbus A380 superjumbo--the world's largest airliner that has about 35% more capacity than its Boeing rival.

Comfort-wise the A380's double-decker layout allows the cabins to be bigger, which translates to wider seats and aisles and even some extra common space! I thought this would be a gas guzzler, but actually it burns 12% less fuel per seat than a plane with 30% less capacity. After watching An Inconvenient Truth, that's something close to my heart.

I just read in a New York Times article that the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) declared the A380 safe to fly. Wish I could get a seat, but I know that even though it's a gigantic 555-seater and not taking off until October, my odds of getting on that Singapore Airlines flight are slim to none.

The Airbus A380 surpasses Boeing's Jumbo 747 for the size record, which Boeing held for more than 35 years. I just read about this lady who bought one and is turning it into her home! I guess it's not that surprising when you think that a jumbo 747 can carry anywhere from 416 to 524 passengers! Maybe they'll convert old A380s into office buildings one day.

What do you think about these mega-sized airplanes?

Back to Main
Posted in Travel News
Email this | Comments (0)

So, I had to get a new passport this year, which I had known for a while, as I recall noting it when I went to the U.K. last year. But then I forgot. And then I was dreading it. You know the hassle: the paperwork, living without it for weeks, and I don't know. But just getting it renewed seemed like a mighty burden. Then again, if I didn't get it done soon, I might not be able to get out of the country for fear that I wouldn't be able to get back INTO the country. To complicate matters, I had not one, but two international trips to navigate, which all meant that I had better get my passport renewed and fast.

The passport rules actually state that some countries won't accept your passport unless it is valid for over six months from the date you arrive. I pushed it in Tanzania and Rwanda, but fortunately I squeaked out of both with my imminent expiration undetected. I returned stateside in late June. I was tired. July came and I downloaded the form for renewal and that was, by the way, a really expedient way to get this process started!

My departure at the end of September loomed and yet still I hadn't sent in my precious passport for renewal. After all, it had been with me to Firenze, Roma, Milano, Paris, Vienna, Munich, Nairobi, Ixtapa, Sayulita, Barbuda, Tortola, Scotland and so many other wonderful places! And yet, if I wanted to make it on my trip to Chile, I was going to have to get this process going.

At long last, with not a day to spare, I put my passport in the mail and sent it off. I crossed my fingers that it would return to me in time.

Could I have paid more money to have it expedited? Yes.

Could I have waited in line at the passport agency to have my passport renewed in front of me? Yes.

Of course, if I had been a good little traveler, I would have gotten my passport well before May and I would never have fretted for an instant. But my life being busy as it is… that just didn't happen. Learn from me. Take heed.

If you're headed to Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda or Canada by air in 2007, you have to be thinking about all of this, too. Because, my friends, the passport rules are a-changin'. After January 23, when traveling by air, you won't be able to get back into the country without a valid U.S. passport. Some people say that the best part of traveling is coming home – so make sure you can.

Back to Main
Posted in International Travel
Email this | Comments (3)

For the last week, I have been completely preoccupied by the heartbreaking story of the Kim family from San Francisco and the tragic discovery that the father died of exposure and hypothermia while seeking help for his family in Oregon.

Last week, CNET senior editor James Kim bravely set out on what his wife Kati described to authorities as an heroic last resort to save her and their two young daughters. After running the car for heat and running out of gas, then burning all four tires, James set out for help on a 10 mile trek through rugged, snowy terrain. Sadly, his path led him in a near circle—his body was recovered only one-half mile from the family car.

I cannot stop thinking about what I would have done. Of all the times I have been lost or made a wrong turn—one especially frightening time when I was traveling alone in India, and another during a riot in Western Africa—I have been so phenomenally lucky to return home safely.

I also cannot imagine the conversations that took place between James and Kati Kim during their nine days of being stranded. With only berries to eat, in freezing temperatures, and under extreme duress, would I have recalled my wilderness survival skills from my NOLS mountaineering semester, or even have been able to keep my wits about me while trying to reassure to young children? Would my husband and I have stayed together in the car, or would we have been so desperate as to seek help separately?

According to survival experts, adults have a tendency to follow water when lost, believing that it will flow into a larger place where there might be help. This is often a fatal mistake, as one risks getting damp and wet, which can result in hypothermia. Incredibly, children instinctively head to higher ground to understand where they are in the context of their surroundings. This tends to be what keeps them safe.

CNN correspondent Rick Sanchez says we need to remember the rule of threes:

1. You can survive for three hours without shelter.
2. You can survive for three days without water.
3. You can survive for three weeks without food.

In other words, shelter is key to survival. What would you have done? What other survival tips can you share here?

Back to Main
Posted in Car Travel, Family & Kids, Security & Safety
Email this | Comments (0)

I am loving the bring-your-own-meal (BYOM) trend on domestic flights. If there's been one improvement to air travel these days, it's actually the lack of in-flight meals--no more stinking airplane cabins and questionable food lingering on my tray table.

But now snack boxes are proliferating, and not only are they an example of gross over-packaging, but they are also known to be laden with empty calories and artery-clogging fat. I'm telling you now that I don't ever want to appear on The Biggest Loser, which means you won't find me "snacking" on chips and cookies at 30,000 feet.

A recent study ranked snack boxes from six different airlines in an effort to educate travelers on how to eat healthy on the go. United was praised for having some of the healthiest options, but even at 580 calories, its Ritebite Pack is no waist-whittling snack.

I prefer not to sabotage my diet on food I don't even want to eat. That's why I pack my own meal. After Thanksgiving, I took a homemade turkey sandwich on board. Sometimes I leave extra time at the airport to buy a burrito or something that doesn't take up too much space or require much packaging. Just make sure it complies with the new liquids guidelines.

Do you bring or buy? What do you eat on the plane?

Back to Main
Posted in Air Travel, Health & Wellness
Email this | Comments (4)

It’s no secret that American’s favorability around the world is on the decline. I was reminded of this earlier in the year when I traveled to Quebec with a slightly obnoxious stars-and-stripes luggage identifier tied to my suitcase, which mysteriously wound up getting “lost.” After speaking to the airline agent in Canada, who chuckled when I told her of the tag, I began to wonder if my missing piece of luggage had more to do with the red, white and blue than I could have anticipated.

My experience may have been a complete coincidence, a mistake made by a distracted baggage handler, but it served as a reminder that the patriotic, proud-to-be-American attitude doesn’t always translate well across borders (even when you're just traveling next door). Does this increasingly anti-American sentiment stop me from traveling? Absolutely not, but it’s certainly something I think about (and plan for) when I travel internationally. I haven’t traveled out of the country since my trip to Quebec. Anxious that I would make another uninformed mistake, I turned to the World Citizen’s Guide for advice on crushing the “Ugly American” stereotype when I started preparing for my upcoming trip to Europe.

The guide serves as a reminder of how Americans in general have the ability to be rude when traveling: apparently, we speak too loudly, boast too frequently and tend to offend all too often. Utilizing the research of Business for Diplomatic Action, a non-profit organization dedicated to changing the worldwide view of America, five college students created the guide. BDA sited four root causes of anti-American sentiment in their research: U.S. public policy, the negative effects of globalization, our popular culture and our collective personality.

I’m personally going to incorporate the important tips from this pocket-sized guide into my future travels, with the hopes of becoming a better world citizen.

Back to Main
Posted in Business Travel, International Travel, Polls & Studies
Email this | Comments (2)

True story: Back in the 80s, a friend of mine flew home from the Dominican Republic with her Spanish-speaking grandfather and a gallon-size container of honey from his farm. As if he were traveling with gold bars, he carefully placed the jug of honey in the overhead bin a few seats away. About half-way through the flight, the unlucky man beneath said bin found himself completely doused in honey, which seeped into his ears, covered his eyes, and slid down the space between his collar and his neck. As everyone on the plane turned to see what the shrieking was all about, my friend--who was eight at the time—became the impromptu translator of some colorful language from the flight attendant to her grandfather.

True story: Back in the 80s, a friend of mine flew home from the Dominican Republic with her Spanish-speaking grandfather and a gallon-size container of honey from his farm. As if he were traveling with gold bars, he carefully placed the jug of honey in the overhead bin a few seats away. About half-way through the flight, the unlucky man beneath said bin found himself completely doused in honey, which seeped into his ears, covered his eyes, and slid down the space between his collar and his neck. As everyone on the plane turned to see what the shrieking was all about, my friend--who was eight at the time—became the impromptu translator of some colorful language from the flight attendant to her grandfather.

Given the recent TSA restrictions on liquids, pastes, and gels, that story gets filed under “old school” travel tales. Even so, travel etiquette remains undefined, and flights are still some of the best sources of storytelling, so long as you maintain a sense of humor. Like the time the gentleman in front of me (who reclined his seat as far as possible, collapsing my laptop onto my fingers) and I engaged in a small cold war over the opening and closing of, ahem...my window shade. I had a migraine and wanted to block out the sun as it bounced off the wing and into my eyes--it was, after all, directly next to my seat--and every time I shut it, he reopened it. This silly, wordless back-and-forth went on for nearly four hours. It still makes me chuckle.

And that was better than the time I got seated next to the Chatty Cathy who indulged me in the finer points of her divorce proceedings for the entire ride from New York to San Francisco. Even with my iPod headphones on, I was a captive audience; what could I do?

There always seems to be some character that’s ripe for parody among friends and family when you land. Wouldn't it be nice if pilots took a cue from those garbled NYC subway announcements, and educated us travelers on who has a right to the middle armrest, and other dos and don'ts on the plane? I, for one, would be grateful for some guidelines.

With the holidays upon us, and all the stress and unusual behavior that results, I would like to get your opinion on what you consider appropriate airline etiquette.

Back to Main
Posted in Air Travel
Email this | Comments (1)